History

Legend has it that Bakau grew up around the holy crocodile pool in Kachikally, the central district of Bakau. Bakau itself was a small village at the turn of the 19th century and grew in importance as it became a favourite place for private residences of colonial administrators, especially along the beautiful palm fringed beaches. Despite being a major town, the old village still exists and is run like any other in the Gambia, with an 'Alkali' (similar to 'Mayor') and divided into Kabilos. There exists a much smaller village within the old village called Bakau Wasulung Kunda, indicating the migrant origins of its inhabitants. As people began to move out of Banjul, government allocated residential areas quickly sprang around the old village, acquiring new names in the process. What were farms of the local population became well planned suburbs filled with bungalows, such as Fajara, New Town and Cape Point.